I would like to hear from people in the law enforcement fields.
Do police, prosecutors and corrections officers think the death penalty is an effective tool for preventing crime?
Contact me...
In the past two years in New York, several officers were shot and killed. Recently, on July 14, 2007, Russian-American officer Russell Timoshenko was killed on the job at age 23. His death was a great loss for the city of New York. New Yorkers like me mourn his death and the deaths of the others, and I offer their family, friends, and fellow officers my deepest condolences.
Mayor Bloomberg believes easy access to hand guns is a contributing problem, but the Senate passed a "cop killer bill" during their special session on July 16, 2007. This cop killer bill would allow for the death penalty to be reinstated in New York for those offenders who murder law-enforcement officers.
"Too many law-enforcement officers are being killed while honoring their commitment to protect and serve this state, and many more are injured and wounded in the line of duty," Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said.
"We need to do everything we can to protect our brave heroes, and this legislation will protect our communities, and our police officers, from violent criminals." (May 15, 2007, NY Post)
As much as I would agree with his statement about the need to do everything to protect officers, I disagree with his approach. Would this cop killer bill, if, in an unlikely scenario, passed by the Assembly, protect our officers? An execution if it takes place at all, occurs many years after the crime. The family of the victim is put through endless appeals and constant media coverage of the crime. The cost over life without parole is tremendous. Aside from that, and perhaps most importantly, there is no evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent.
There is little attention given in any death penalty states to the effect the death penalty has on people working in corrections whose job it is to carry out the sentence. There is anecdotal evidence of post traumatic stress disorder but no comprehensive research has been done. Is this an issue of concern to those who work in corrections? Are they given everything they need to process their participation in this difficult job?
As we remember the life of fallen officers and honor them and their work, we ought to keep in mind the officers that continue to risk their lives everyday to keep their communities safe. What are their true concerns? Where should the millions of dollars spent by a state to maintain a death penalty go to help law enforcement in their work? Do officers truly believe that a death penalty will best benefit them?
I would truly appreciate it if the DailyKos community helped me to start a discourse between any law enforcement interested in the topic.
If you are or know a member of law enforcement that would like to be involved in a discourse on this topic, please email info@nyadp.org. I would love to get in contact with any members of law enforcement.